Materials I used for making lockpicks, tips and advise,

[adric]

i wrote this up for another forum, but id like opinons, questions, suggestions,
-==-=-
Ok materials for making lockpicks! (Ive been making them for about 16
years, so I'm going to give you the advise I can from what I have
learned!)

The best materials for making picks are:

I use Metal bits from the tops of Hanging File folders (those things that ride on rails in file cabinets). Most of them use a nice flat piece of mild steel (some use stamped steel, and while they work for making 2 picks from each end, they are not as good as the flat ones!(you can make 3 or more picks from the flat ones) Just rip them out of the folder, and scrape off the epoxy. Get a nibbler tool (sold at radio shack and some other places)rough shape your picks with the nibbler, (smooth the corners of your handles by nibbling them off too). File or dremmel the final shape, use some fine grit sandpaper to smooth it all down and then heat them and melt some wax onto your pick tips, (wipe off all but a very thin film of wax) And now you have professional quality picks. Those who wish to can oil Quench the picks after heating them redhot. This will temper them into a more spring steel like steel. For extra flair use heat shrink tubing and heat shrink some handles onto your picks.

If you cant find or get hanging file folders, many dollar stores here sell long strips of spring steel in the form of a $1 drain snake, you can make a lot of picks from those!

The best materials for making tension wrenches are:
I have found that “Street Sweeper Bristles”. Flat steel bits, often found along street sides and gutters. To make a wrench just take one piece of street sweeper bristle, two pliers, or pliers and a vice. Give
them a 90degree twist at about 1.5” from the end, and then bend them into an L at like 60degrees, if you want fine grit sandpaper and wax can make them nice and smooth, (nicer on your hands and on the lock, (many people ask me why wax? Lube! If you don't wax, you tend to have micro saw's for picks and after a moment of raking you can pour out the filed down brass! This is not good! A good lockpicker wants to leave no damage and no trace!)

If you cant find a street sweeper bristles, many discarded windshield wiper blades have two very nice long thin stainless spring steel stiffeners in them..

you can get ideas for pick shapes and sizes from catalogs, web pages, mit guide to lockpicking,


To help with making your first sets. If you can borrow a good pickset, do it, take them to a self service xerox machine and place them on the glass, next to a ruler, then xerox them off a good dozen times, and give them back.. this is a nice visual aid in making your own and for ideas on making your own custom designs.

If you have some xerox's of picks, try this for templating them and making them, get some 2 sided tape, put it on the back side of the pick-picture then cut out the pick peel off the backing of the tape, pace it on the spring-steel and use a fine tip sharpie marker, and trace the template, you can then grinder, or use a nibbler, or file off all the stuff you just marked...

get a vice too! they are great for when you need to copy a key too.. or if you get into impressioning, or whatnot..

let me know if you have any more questions..

other materials i have used,
bands from cheep o headphones
tines from a crappy leaf rake
old dental style picks,
brick strapping,
paperclips
feeler gage's

but the above mentioned materials are the best.. i know i've made over 40
picks and I'm finally happy with what I have found!


btw go to www.foley-belsaw.com and look st the pdf's or order a catalog,


-Adric

[raimundo]

straps from hanging files are not the stiff steel found in sweeper bristles, but might be hardenable by fire and quenching in cold water. however the size of this metal makes it good for warded padlock T or double TT tools. paper clips are lousy picks, they are mild steel. stainless headphone strap works well, but is a bit thicker than sweeper bristle, it can be hardend by fire and quenching, it takes a straw yellow color from this, its stainless steel of some type. Feeler gauges are very good, hardened. come in your choice of width from the machinist tool supply store, usually in 12 inch lengths. this material can be broken if scored heavily by a carbide tip scriber and the break started by a groove from a threecorner needle file. it starts to crack at the end, and this can be worked along the length if the piece is put in a vise with the score mark along the edge of the vise jaw, the piece in the vise will not be bent, and the piece broken off will be curled a bit as you work the plier along it to run the fracture. I usually score it diagonally for about three and a half inches end to end, with a few millimeters for the pick tip and widening toward the handle. when done breaking it, you have two pieces from the same half inch wide strip, the one that is slightly curled from the bending to break it will have memory and can be easily restraightend if this is done right away. This technique gets you two picks from the same length of material, and leaves less to grind away along the shaft.

[adric]

straps from hanging files are not the stiff steel found in sweeper bristles, but might be hardenable by fire and quenching in cold water. however the size of this metal makes it good for warded padlock T or double TT tools. paper clips are lousy picks, they are mild steel. stainless headphone strap works well, but is a bit thicker than sweeper bristle, it can be hardend by fire and quenching, it takes a straw yellow color from this, its stainless steel of some type. Feeler gauges are very ves less to grind away along the shaft.

i have found oil quenching works better, makes it less brittle, more springy.. the file folder metal holds up well, i often use a nibbler, thenmy grinder a bit, then hand file/sand them.. then heat them with a propane burner, until orange, then quench it in a troff of motor oil, then dry it off and do it again, to help set the temper..

thanks for posting your experience/info!